Five Haunted Holiday Horror Movies to Stream This Week
Telling ghost stories at Christmas was a common tradition in Victorian England, popularized by writers like Charles Dickens. There’s something magical about cozying up by the fire on a dark winter’s night and sending shivers down your spine with eerie tales of terror. In the spirit of holiday tradition, this week’s streaming picks are dedicated […]
Telling ghost stories at Christmas was a common tradition in Victorian England, popularized by writers like Charles Dickens. There’s something magical about cozying up by the fire on a dark winter’s night and sending shivers down your spine with eerie tales of terror. In the spirit of holiday tradition, this week’s streaming picks are dedicated to haunted holiday horror movies that spread holiday fear through the supernatural.
Here’s where you can stream them this week.
For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.
A Christmas Carol – Disney+, Hulu
While any adaptation of Charles Dickens’ Christmas quintessential ghost story qualifies, especially Scrooged, though they rarely venture too far into full blown horror. The BBC’s A Christmas Carol miniseries does just that with a foreboding atmosphere, witchcraft, and a slew of menacing ghosts and haunted memories. Guy Pearce stars as Ebenezer Scrooge, a miser visited by a trio of Christmas ghosts to change his selfish ways or else. In a much grimmer telling of the Dickens classic, expect Scrooge to get scared straight in a much more menacing form.
The Conjuring 2 – HBO Max
Ed and Lorraine Warren travel to North London to help a struggling family deal with one terrifying haunting. James Wan’s sequel dials up the terror and introduces a few memorable ghosts. That includes the scene-stealing demonic nun, Valak. As if that’s not enough, it happens to be the holiday season. Ed and Lorraine may be busy fighting evil here, but they also make time to spread some holiday cheer. At least for one quiet, super sweet holiday serenade.
Dead End – Fawesome, Pluto TV, Prime Video, Tubi
Ray Wise and Lin Shaye lead in this road trip horror movie set on Christmas Eve. When Ray Wise’s Frank opts to take the scenic route on the long drive over to Frank’s in-laws, things go awry quickly. But never quite how you’d expect. Essentially a chamber piece, mostly set within the confines of the car, Dead End is an intelligent horror film with a great cast, unpredictable twists and lots of ghostly terror. There’s plenty of humor to help alleviate the tension, too.
Dead of Night – Fawesome, Kanopy
This British horror anthology tells multiple tales of terror, but only one relates to the holiday. Even still, it’s a stone-cold classic, and there’s no better time than now to watch or revisit it. “The Christmas Party” spins a chilling story of a ghostly encounter during a children’s Christmas gathering. Hide and seek becomes the perfect recipe for one partygoer to encounter the unexpected when she finds a great hiding spot. Come for this children’s party of terror and stay for the other substantial segments.
Wind Chill – Netflix, Roku Channel, Tubi
A girl (Emily Blunt) finds a ride home through a bulletin board at her college, though she’s instantly put off by how much the driver (Ashton Holmes) seems to know about her. As if the icy tensions aren’t enough to deal with on the long drive, he takes a shortcut, and they wind up stranded in the middle of nowhere. A psychological chamber piece, enjoyment here will likely hinge on how well you tolerate the two leads. Blunt’s character is intentionally abrasive, and Holmes must work overtime to overcome his character’s initially creepy tendencies. Still, it offers some great scares and an interesting spin on the survival-meets-paranormal story.
